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Trump Administration Will Transfer $3.6 Billion to Build US-Mexico Border Wall

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The Trump administration plans to move $3.6 billion dollars this week from military construction projects here in the US and abroad to build the US - Mexico border wall.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday to detail the cash shift.

Lawmakers whose districts will be affected were also informed of the move. 

President Trump declared a national emergency in February, ordering funding from other federal accounts to build the border wall, including the Treasury and Defense Department.

Esper approved canceling or putting off 127 building projects in order to build 175 miles of wall along the southern border. The 175 miles covered by the Pentagon funding represents just a small fraction of the 1,954-mile US - Mexico border.

Half of the money will come from US projects and half will come from construction planned in other countries. 

Defense Department officials say Congress will be notified which projects will be affected a move sure to ignite a new debate in Congress on whether to keep funding those projects.

Congress approved $1.375 billion for wall construction in this year's budget, same as the previous year and far less than the $5.7 billion that the White House sought.

Army Lt. Gen. Andrew W. Poppas, director of operations for the Joint Staff, told reporters that shoring up the wall could eventually lead to a reduction in the number of troops who are deployed along the border. About 3,000 active-duty troops and 2,000 members of the National Guard are being used along the border to support Homeland Security and border patrol efforts. About 1,200 of the active-duty troops are conducting surveillance in mobile truck units.

Pappas and other officials couldn't say how soon or by how many the troop numbers could go down. Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said the troops would remain at the border for as long as they are needed. It could depend in part on the number of attempted border crossings by migrants and other issues.
 

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of